Tag Archives: advocates

Zhou Yu (“Z”) was born with bilateral microtia and atresia. While living in China he was unaided until he was adopted almost 2 years ago by the Bullock family. His mother Erin began doing research regarding what the best hearing care options would be for Z, knowing he would have progress to make not only learning a new language but hearing for the first time.

“It was not a hard decision to make once we did all the research. The stories that adults and older children were telling were the stories we needed to here. When we demoed products, he even could tell the difference and he picked Ponto” – Erin

In the video below, Erin explains why her family chose Ponto and the difference it is making in her son Z’s life.

Interested in learning more about our newest Ponto – the Ponto 3 SuperPower? Click the button below to be connected to a representative from our team.

Davin is 8 years old and was born with bilateral microtia and atresia. In the video below, Davin and his mother, Shannon Gordon, talk about his hearing journey with his Ponto’s and their experience with the new Ponto 3 SuperPower.

“Davin’s hearing is one of the most important things in our life and we’re just trying to do what’s best for him.” – Shannon

Interested in learning more about the Ponto 3 SuperPower? Click the button below to be connected to a representative from our team.

This summer, we’re getting more active on Instagram, and you can too! We want you to share your story and experience the stories of others, so we’re offering some Instagram tech tips.

Instagram is a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your mobile phone, then choose a filter to transform the image into a memory to keep around forever.

1. Download and Register
First, download the Instagram App onto your smartphone. Once you’ve downloaded and open the app, you’ll be prompted to create an account. After you create your account, you’ll be directed to this screen.

2. Choose or Take Your PhotoTo get started taking your first picture, hit the middle icon on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Or, you can select a photo from your photo library. Change the orientation of the photo from portrait or landscape by tapping the expand icon (two outward facing arrows) in the lower left hand corner before editing.

As you may have heard, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the governing body that runs Medicare, is proposing to eliminate the coverage for bone anchored hearing devices in 2015. The proposal’s aim is to classify bone anchored hearing systems as hearing aids, which are specifically not covered under Medicare. If this proposal is passed, it will effectively terminate all Medicare coverage for new bone anchored implant surgeries as well as terminate funding for replacement processors for current bone anchored implant users under Medicare.

Equally disturbing is the potential ripple effect this proposal will have on non-governmental private payers and state Medicaid policies. These groups routinely look to Medicare as the standard for their policies and use Medicare coverage guidelines for justification of coverage, or removal of coverage for treatment options. It is not overstating a concern to say if this proposal passes, coverage for everyone using a bone anchored system is threatened.

When Ponto users come together amazing things happen. This year, as a thank you to a group of advocates, one of those amazing things included visiting The San Diego Safari Park. The park is home to wild and endangered animals from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Australia. We even got to meet a handful of the animals up close!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Thank you again to those who have shared your experiences throughout the year. Your stories continue to help people in their own personal journeys. We’re looking forward to meeting more of you and continuing to bring the community together in as many ways as possible.

Do you have an experience to share? Let us know here or in the comments section below. And, you can always connect with Ponto users on the Oticon Medical Facebook Page and Twitter.

We’d like to welcome you to our blog. We say “ours”, but really it’s yours. We’re here to help you share your stories to inspire others and provide valuable information and helpful tips. In fact, we’d even like to have you name the blog.

Do you have a name suggestion? Submit your idea in the comments section below. The comment that includes the name that receives the most “likes” will become the name of this blog.

Do you have topics you’d like us to cover or a story that you would like to share? Let us know here, on Facebook or on Twitter. We’re always open to post ideas and hosting guest bloggers.